Supporting the local response to the climate emergency
Around a third of the UK’s emissions are within the power or influence of local authorities and their communities.
This simple fact is the starting point for all our work on climate — mySociety has long experience in digital services around government, and we know this is where we can have the most impact. To this end, we’re deploying our skills in research, design, mapping, and development, to make climate-related data more accessible and actionable.
We believe that more information makes for better-informed action, both by local authorities and elected representatives, and by citizens from all walks of life. Our climate services combine transparency and accountability of local decision-making, and ground-up mobilisation of communities for more effective, sustainable, and democratic local climate action.
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Our vision for an open, accountable green transition
| Our vision | Tackling climate change requires rewriting the way societies make critical collective decisions. Our vision is of open, accountable and responsive governance that can shape the deep reforms needed for rapid decarbonisation and preserve political support for climate transformation. |
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| Our mission | Our climate programme deploys mySociety’s 20-year track record in revolutionary civic digital services to contribute to a fairer, faster and more effective climate response – by enhancing public participation in decision-making, transparency of decision-making and government accountability. |
| Our goals | Giving individuals and communities the right information at the right time to participate in democratic processes and come together to take action on climate. |
| Creating the open data necessary for different actors (citizens, civil society, researchers, policymakers) to collaborate, coordinate and learn more quickly. | |
| Pushing climate decision-making and policy to be more transparent and accountable at every layer of government. |
Our current focuses
Monitoring local authority progress with the Council Climate Scorecards
The Scorecards are used by local authority officers, councillors, climate campaigners, and local citizens to identify and share best practice across the UK, and monitor councils’ progress towards their net zero goals. Over 1 in 5 councils actively use the Scorecards as part of their climate work.
“They’ve helped me to identify potential opportunities for further projects which we could implement in support of our ambition to be net zero by as close to 2030 as possible.” — Climate Change Officer, Bracknell Forest Council
You can read more about the impact of the Scorecards here – or find out more about how Climate Emergency UK’s volunteers have used mySociety’s GRACE crowdsourcing tool, and our WhatDoTheyKnow Pro batch requests feature, to draw together the UK’s clearest picture of local climate action.
Encouraging home energy action with Neighbourhood Warmth
Yet, uptake of home energy action has been frustratingly low. Our research suggested that the current individualised nature of home energy advice is a major blocker to action.
Our ‘Neighbourhood Warmth’ platform is prototyping and testing a community-led approach, that gives local authorities and community energy organisations the data they need to target their engagement work, and gives neighbours and community networks the tried-and-tested support they need to make their homes warmer, healthier, and greener – together.
Tooling-up the climate and nature movement with the Local Intelligence Hub
The Hub pulls together public and private datasets on MP activity, public opinion on climate and nature issues, local environmental and demographic factors, and exclusive data on the climate and nature movement’s presence and supporter base across the UK.
Over two-thirds of Local Intelligence Hub users say it’s told them something they didn’t know before about the climate and nature movement near them and 40% go on to contact their MP after using the Hub.
“I will ask my MP to drive change in parliament by using local examples and stats” – feedback from Local Greenpeace Activist.
We’re now exploring whether the platform behind the Hub could be extended to support other citizen-focussed coalitions in sectors like housing and health. If you’re interested, get in touch!
Advocating for solutions to the fragmented local climate data problem
At mySociety we believe in demonstrating by doing. That’s what’s led to our work on CAPE, the Council Climate Scorecards, and the Local Intelligence Hub. But we’re also using data and research to avocate for stronger government policy on standardised monitoring and reporting on local climate metrics and actions.
We want to enable urgent climate risks to become known, action to be accelerated and public accountability to be paramount. A data focussed approach will mean both citizens and public bodies will be accurately informed to take action on these crucial issues facing future generations.
Other climate projects
Prototyping weeks
We engaged experts and stakeholders from six different parts of the climate sector, to identify the most impactful digital interventions our programme could make.
Climate Assembly UK
We created the digital platform to support Climate Assembly UK – the UK’s first citizens’ assembly on climate, commissioned by six House of Commons Select Committees.
CAPE
When we started collecting every UK council’s climate action plan in 2020, we couldn’t predict how invaluable the database would be for researchers, campaigners, and council officers. CAPE went on to power the first version of the Council Climate Scorecards.
How we work on Climate
Partnerships
Partner organisations are a core feature of our climate programme – bringing expertise on the climate sector and lived experience with local climate issues, which we can then support and boost with data, research, and digital services. Some of our current and recent partner organisations include Climate Emergency UK, The Climate Coalition, Carbon Co-op, and Dark Matter Labs.
But beyond this, we’re always looking to collaborate with and support the work of a diverse range of groups and networks active within local climate action. Some of the areas we’ll need help with are in testing early versions of services, reaching others who can benefit from our work, and feeding back on your needs.
Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion means we’ll prioritise partnerships and collaboration with, and support (including financial support) for, organisations who are working for equality and whose work is led by the needs of minoritised groups – by which we initially mean: People with Black, Asian or other minority ethnic heritage; Disabled people; People who identify as LGBTQI+; or people who are disadvantaged by their social and/or economic background or circumstances. We encourage anyone involved with those groups to get in touch directly with suggestions for ways we could work together, or just to explore potential.
Research and evidence
As an open source organisation, we routinely publish our research on the factors affecting local climate action, and the roles that technology could play in bringing about a fairer, more transparent, and more democratic transition in the UK.
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Unlocking the value of fragmented public data
February 2023
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Improving energy efficiency in the private rented sector
February 2023
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New in CAPE: Five different ways of finding similar councils
November 2022
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Data sharing for climate campaign organisations and communities
September 2022